Hello all,
I just stumbled on this forum and wanted to ask a few questions. Here is a little background:

I recently bought a used 1995 Volvo 850 wagon from a person on craigslist in the Hampton Roads area in VA after returning from a deployment with the military. There are a few small issues with it though (as expected) but it still runs decent. Not bad for $1500 overall (although it has 18" rims and z rated tires which were expensive to replace)

First of all, the ABS light comes on randomly with no effect on the vehicle while driving. A friend of mine (ASE cert mechanic) thinks the rear ABS sensor is going out/ has a short.

Next, the drivers side front window does not roll up properly. It comes out of the track (leaning forward) leaving a gap in the rear side of the window frame. It also occasionally comes out of the track lane and ends up outside of the door at the top.

The passenger side front door window will roll down, but not up. How do I figure out if its the window motor or the button?

There seems to be an intermittent electrical short in the dashboard instrument light. The indicator lights work, but occasionally it will not light up when I turn on the headlights (radio and other panel lights included) but the warning lights still work.



The guy that I bought it from wired up a sound system as well, but its done in a very slipshod manner. Could that lead to the electrical/sensor problems?

I appreciate any help anyone can give me.

 

The ABS has a module that goes out. They sell them at www.iPdusa.com or the FCP. Some places also rebuild the.

Not sure about the windows. Sounds like the driver door has a bad track assembly and the passenger side is likely the button.

 

So it has 18" wheels. That his a sore spot with me.

My car has 17" Titans and I must say that I don't think I will EVER wear a set of tires out. I purchased the car in April and I'm on my way to purchase my 3rd tire, all from road hazard damage. It's rediculas!

About 20 years ago, I was reading a R & T article about a Nissan that had small tires, I believe they called them Rim Protectors. That may be what I have. Every time I hit a pot hole I cringe and wonder if I damaged a tire, which I usually do. The last bang happened a 3 days ago and the one before that was a week ago. The bang a week ago caused a bubble on my sidewall. I have not check the tire that took the last bang yet.

If you decide to keep the large wheels and the low profile tires, be prepared to replace tires all the time. And if you hit the right pot hole, you will bend your wheels. I don't think any of my wheels are ROUND anymore. They are not bent enough to cause the ride to be rough but they are not round.

If anyone has any ideas about how to straighten out bent Titians please let me know (other than replacement).

 

Take it somewhere? I don't think there's anything you can do yourself to straighten a wheel. Or swap your titans with pegs. I've read that Titans are really soft wheels. I think I'm going to go with 16's on my wagon, cheaper wheels, cheaper tires, plus I found wheels that I really like and they're 16's.

and to the OP, the sound system wiring could lead to something messed up, i would try to track down where he spliced into the system for power.

 

I was trying to find OEM wheels for it but I would end up shelling out a bunch of cash to get new rims (15-16" most likely). Once I can afford to get the new rims and tires I'll offer them up on here or on craigslist. They came with the car (makes it look like a pimp hearse with the window tint) so I'm stuck with it for a little while.



So I should look at the drivers side track for the window? Just look for loose fasteners or is there something specific I should look for?

As for the passenger side window motor/switch...Are they running off of AC or DC? If DC I can check hat easily, if AC, I would need an O-scope to check the phase shift. I think that may be the easiest way to see if the switch or motor is bad. Thoughts?

 

Take the door panels off and start there, I've never had a problem with windows so I don't know much about them.

And stock rims aren't expensive at all? The stock rims that are on the 850 Turbos are called Columbas and are super cheap. You can find straight sets for like 250 bucks.

 

I have seen tons of 850 wheels at my Volvo junk yard. If you need their # pm me. I bet they will sell you a set cheep. May even have tires on them.

 

Your car is a 95 so more then likely, the ABS computer is fine. You are also in luck because you can check and see what the issue is being you car is OBD1. Here is a nice How To for you. Instead of putting the wire in A2, you will put it in A3. Once you find out what the codes are, clear them all and then see what codes come back. Post the codes that come back in this thread and we will get it all sorted for you.